Pau Gasol is the subject of a documentary book by photojournalist Lori Shepler. Over a period of 4 years, Shepler followed Gasol through the most intimate moments of his life on and off the basketball court. Proceeds from the book will go to the Gasol foundation, a non profit set up to benefit children. Gasol signed the book at theNike store at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. 11/19/2013. photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)

The intimate portraits that spill out through the pages illuminates what former Lakers coach Phil Jackson described as “the breadth of Pau Gasol.”

It proved fitting Jackson wrote a foreward for Gasol’s newly released photography book titled “Gasol: Life/Vida” with proceeds benefitting his foundation that he runs with his brother, Marc, of the Memphis Grizzlies. The 268-page book by photographer Lori Shepler shows various facets of Gasol’s life. It includes his playing career, including 5 1/2 years with the Lakers and stints with the Spanish national team. The book showcases Gasol’s off-court interests, ranging from his hobbies (reading, travel) and philanthropic efforts (UNICEF ambassador, frequent visitor at Los Angeles Children’s Hospital). But Gasol also devotes one of his 16 chapters on Kobe Bryant, expressing affection for winning two NBA championships together and improving under his leadership.

“Kobe Bryant is a one-of-a-kind player. He has a tremendous will and drive to be the best — and he dedicates his body and soul to it,” Gasol wrote in excerpts both in English and Spanish. “He is restless; he is relentless. Those are some of the things that I admire most about him.”

Several of the photos show Gasol bonding with Bryant both on the court and in the trainer’s room while the Lakers’ star rehabs his left Achilles tendon.

“I believe that he will not only come back from it, but he will come back as strong as ever,” Gasol wrote. “That’s how he is. He’s also an intellectual, and he thrives on learning and mastering what interests him. He can manage and handle any situation that comes up.”

Meanwhile, Bryant referred to Gasol as his “brother” in the book’s foreward and outlined several qualities Gasol has that he he’d want in a brother.

“He would have the highest basketball IQ in the league and play with versatility and tenacity,” Bryant wrote. “You’d have to search and search and you still would not find another player in the history of the game with his skill set.”

Gasol concedes, “We’ve had moments that haven’t been smooth,” including disagreements on Gasol’s aggressiveness and Bryant’s scoring mentality. But with Bryant’s skill set and his support through trade speculation since the nixed Chris Paul deal two years ago, Gasol called playing with Bryant “a luxury.”

“The respect that exists at both the personal and professional levels, in the end, is what really counts and really matters,” Gasol wrote. “I’m thankful that I’ve had this opportunity to play next to him. He is one of the best players in the history of basketball.”

Etc…

The Lakers assigned rookies Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris on Thursday to the D-Fenders, their Development League affiliate … The Lakers will donate $150,000 to the Philippine Red Cross to help with relief efforts connected to the typhoon that hit the country this week in the eastern and central region. The Lakers will also give all proceeds from the Lakers Youth Foundation in-arena Auctions at home games from Nov. 12-24 to the Philippine Red Cross.

Mark Medina has been the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News since 2012. He also works as a Lakers insider for AM570 and is heard on national radio outlets, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Chris Mannix Show, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio. Medina also appears frequently on Spectrum SportsNet and NBC4's "Going Roggin."

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